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Here we go again. Just as it looked like the recovery was on a firmer footing, and a little smugness had even crept in over Britain growing faster than other big economies, we’re hit with fresh warnings about a slowdown.

Britain’s biggest property website has rebuffed claims that the housing market is heading for a slowdown, with a forecast that prices will soar by 30% over the next five years to average £318,000 in England and Wales and more than £715,000 in London.

After dismal summer employment numbers, the US added a robust 248,000 jobs to the economy in September, but the unemployment crisis continues as two other key measures are still unnervingly high: long-term unemployment and number of people in jobs they don’t want.

House prices have fallen for the first time in 17 months, dropping by 0.2% in September and providing new evidence that the property market is cooling, according to the latest update from the UK’s biggest building society.

Fears over the UK’s faltering economic outlook have been underlined by a survey showing a sharp drop in confidence among financial services firms, against the backdrop of the Chinese slowdown and the EU referendum.